Ranchers, public attend property rights seminar

John Bear-Daily News
Dr. Angus P. McIntosh spoke to a packed house at the Otero County Fairgorunds exhibit building on Property Rights on Western Ranches Federal Rangeland Policy and A Model for Valuation Wednesday night.

Hundreds of Otero County ranchers, residents and elected officials attended the Property Rights on Western Ranches Federal Rangeland Policy and A Model for Valuation free seminar by Dr. Angus P. McIntosh Wednesday at the Otero County Fairgrounds exhibit building in Alamogordo.

Lincoln County and Chaves County ranchers also attended the seminar.

The seminar was sponsored by the Otero County Cattleman's Association, New Mexico and Otero County Farm and Livestock Bureau, and the Lincoln National Forest Allotment Owners.

The seminar was presented by McIntosh after Lincoln National Forest officials in cooperation with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish constructed pipe fencing and a locked gate around the Agua Chiquita riparian area near Weed. The funding for the fencing and gate was provided through the sportsman habitat improvement stamps.

The seminar is based on McIntosh's dissertation.

Otero County Cattleman's Association President Gary Stone said he believes ranchers and residents should be educated on the law concerning grazing, water and property rights on federal lands.

"We just wanted to help educate them," Stone said. "People are not aware what their rights are. We've been conditioned through the years to believe pretty much what we've been told by any kind of public, state or government official. We don't know really what our rights are. Our ignorance, and I use that word really not derogatorily, I use it in the true sense of the word. Our ignorance is killing us. We believe people need to know what their rights are. They depend on what they are told by state and federal officials. They depend on that. There's nothing in the law that says they have to tell them the truth depending on their agenda. But if we don't know what our rights are—we lose them."

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He said he has been told by U.S. Forest Service officials time and time again that they have interpreted the laws differently then ranchers have interpreted the laws.

Dr. Angus P. McIntosh has worked for New Mexico State University and the U.S. Forest Service.

McIntosh said while working for the Forest Service, he learned a lot about grazing and allotment permits.

"I have worked for the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service," he said. "I have experience with both these agencies. Most of my time was working for the USDA. There's all kinds of theories. I wanted to know what the facts were. I went back to school and spent the time researching leases and permits. I spent about 10 years before going back to NMSU doing research then another three years at NMSU. I am still finding out things everyday to add to my dissertation. I think I have a pretty good idea of what property rights ranchers have and exactly what property rights are."

McIntosh quoted Albert Einstein's definition of Insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different result."

McIntosh said he believes ranchers and residents need to use words instead of using guns to fight the federal government.

"For about the last hundred years, we've been doing the same thing," he said. "They want to go into federal district court and argue about the terms of a permit, and they're going to lose every time. We've been using the wrong set of terminology. We don't even understand property rights. To understand property rights, we have to go back to the foundation of the country. Every homestead law is based on people going out on the land, mix their labor with the land, live there for a certain period of time and then they could perfect their title to their land, and get a patent. Real estate is a specific area of land."

McIntosh said people need to have knowledge of the National Forestry Act of 1976, the Federal Land Management Act, the Taylor Grazing Act, the Riparian Doctrine, Appropriation Water Doctrine and the Desert Land Act as well as the Supreme Court decisions in California v. United State and the United States v. New Mexico.

"I encourage everyone to research this information," he said.

Foreman for the Holcomb Ranch John Terrell said he has been involved in the situation near Weed.

"I think we need to do something about the over reach of the federal government," Terrell said. "They need to recognize some of our rights. It has helped me understand my rights. This is the fourth time that I've heard McIntosh speak. There's so much to it that I've learned something or pick up on new. It's been helpful. Knowing your rights can't hurt anybody—can it?"

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